


i'll be by your side (when you cry, cry, cry).

by frostfall



Series: Cap-Iron Man Bingo: 2020 (Round 1) [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Anesthesia, Attempt at Humor, Crack Treated Seriously, Established Relationship, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Misunderstandings, Pining, Pining Steve Rogers, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:08:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22953847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frostfall/pseuds/frostfall
Summary: The first thing he notices when he wakes is there’s a ring on Tony’s ring finger.There’s a fucking ring on Tony’s ring finger.Oh, Steve thinks numbly.I missed my chance. Again.With that thought in mind, he bursts into tears.(In which Steve goes through a rollercoaster of emotions and thoughts, Tony tries to comfort, and Sam finds the whole thing both frustrating and hilarious.)
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: Cap-Iron Man Bingo: 2020 (Round 1) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1628029
Comments: 142
Kudos: 1283
Collections: Captain America/Iron Man Bingo





	i'll be by your side (when you cry, cry, cry).

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into 中文-普通话 國語 available: [【授翻】我会陪在你身边（当你泣不成声的时候）](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23489773) by [Constanz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Constanz/pseuds/Constanz)



> This is a fill for the prompt 'Wedding Ring' on my Cap-Iron Man Bingo card. 
> 
> Title comes from 'Cry, Cry, Cry' by Coldplay.
> 
> This fic is also available in [Mandarin](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23489773) and [Vietnamese](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27875658).

The first thing he notices when he wakes is there’s a ring on Tony’s ring finger.

There’s a fucking ring on Tony’s ring finger.

 _Oh_ , Steve thinks numbly. _I missed my chance. Again._

With that thought in mind, he bursts into tears.

He hears voices, both distant and near. For some unexplainable reason, his brain can’t register whose. Neither could he tell who’s in the room because his brain’s foggy, his vision’s blurring and his heart’s breaking and god, he’s an idiot, such a fucking, _fucking_ idiot—

“—the hell is—”

“—supposed to know—”

—and fuck, he really is the world’s leading authority on waiting too long because he never got to tell Tony the one thing he always wanted to say—

“—make him start bawling—”

“—could be the—”

—the one thing he should’ve said ever since Tony fell from the wormhole and opened his beautiful brown eyes and made Steve’s heart leap—

“—was a large dosage—”

“—to the gills—”

—and fuck, he should’ve said it and now Tony’s gone and left him to pine from afar again because he’s pathetic and—

“—not pathetic. I’m here. No one’s taking me—”

Steve moves to wipe the tears from his eyes, ripping away from the grasp his hand was in. There are sounds of scuffling next to him before a handful of tissues are shoved under his nose. The same calloused hand returns, slipping under Steve’s before stroking the back of his palm with a thumb.

Whoever this is, they’re nice. Very nice. Too bad they’re not Tony though.

“Thank you,” Steve whispers.

“Nightmare?” a gentle voice asks from his right. It’s louder and clearer and _oh_.

Steve’s heart skips a beat. It is him.

He knows that voice anywhere. Even if he was in the dark or blinded, even if he’s on the other end of the globe or even in fucking space, he’ll recognize that voice just by hearing a syllable.

But he’s taken. Tony’s taken. He has someone that’ll hear him, recognize him just by his voice.

And it isn’t Steve.

“No. It’s just that—”

He feels another tear roll down his cheek and another and another and—

Someone pries the tissue that’s squished between his fist and dabs his eyelids.

“Hey,” Tony says soothingly. “It’s okay. You’re okay. Want me to bring you up to speed?”

Steve finds himself nodding, finally turning to his right and there he is, in the flesh.

Tony looks haggard, with eyebags and dishevelled hair. He really needs to sleep. His spouse should be making him sleep. If Steve’s his spouse, he would’ve marched him off to bed the instant he saw him.

Despite his apparent exhaustion, he’s still the most beautiful person Steve has laid his eyes on and Steve aches.

Because Tony’s beautiful, unattainable and not his. He’s not his but someone else’s and—

“—in the infirmary at the Avengers Tower,” Tony continues, cutting through Steve’s thoughts. “You got injured fighting Hydra yesterday and before you ask, we kicked their asses. So yeah, you got injured. Shot. In multiple places. Christ, I was so fucking scared. For fuck’s sake, stop taking bullets for me. I have a suit of armour and you—”

“And you got put under so the doctors could extract the bullets out of you,” Sam cuts in and wow, when did he get here?

Maybe Sam’s the one who Tony married but he wouldn’t do that, right? He couldn’t—

“What he said,” Tony says. “Anyway, it’s 3.49pm right now. Wednesday. April 16th 2020 so no, you weren’t in a coma for another seventy years—”

Steve yanks his hand away from Tony’s grasp, only to wrap his own around Tony’s wrist. The pulse under his thumb skips.

“Tony?”

“Yeah?”

Steve swallows down a choked sob. “You’re not— You’re not gonna leave me, right?”

Tony’s wavering smile drops off completely and god, he did this. It’s all Steve’s fault. He made Tony sad and—

“— okay. Don’t cry. I’m here. I won’t leave unless you—”

“I don’t want you to,” Steve interrupts hurriedly. “But I know you have to.”

Tony’s brow furrows. “If you’re talking about work, I can—”

“But what about your—your—”

“My what?”

“Your—”

Fuck, he can’t even bring himself to say it. Just the thought of Tony happily married to someone that isn’t him hurts so fucking much and—

“Sam?”

Footsteps approach him from his left. “Yeah, Cap?”

“Tony’s married.”

“Uh-huh.”

Steve finally tears his gaze away from Tony, meeting Sam’s concerned gaze. “Who’s he married to?”

Tony makes an indescribable noise.

Sam blinks, his lips parted in apparent surprise. “You’re shitting me, right?”

Steve shakes his head. How could he think he’s joking about something like this?

“Of course not. Why would I joke about something like this? You know I’ve been in love with Tony since he fell from the sky like an angel—”

Tony tsks. “Angels don’t fall—”

“—and you know I’ve been dying to tell him how much I wanna—”

Sam scrunches his nose. He always does that when he talks about how amazing and beautiful and intelligent Tony is. His friend definitely needs better taste in men.

“—cuddle him and kiss him good morning and night but I also wanna make love to him every day and tell him how much I love him even though he doesn’t love himself but that’s okay because I love him and he’s—”

“Please don’t tell me what I think you’re about—”

“—so tiny. So, so tiny. He’ll fit right under my chin if we ever cuddle.”

“—to say, goddamn it. For the last time, I really don’t want to hear about your size kink.”

Tony snickers. Steve feels a swell of pride course through him. He did that. He made Tony laugh. Happy.

Could Tony’s spouse make him laugh? He hopes so because Tony deserves the whole wide world. Galaxy. Universe.

“Told you he’s drugged to the gills,” Tony says.

Sam snickers. “Gotta admit, never thought I’d see the day.”

And just as quickly, Steve’s heart plummets.

How could they joke about something like this? He gets Sam because he’s mean. Such a big meanie.

But hearing Tony brush him off like that hurts. It hurts so much. Like being stabbed a thousand times.

Maybe Sam’s Tony’s husband. It makes sense. Tony and Sam may be friends but it wouldn’t explain why they’re both here together.

But how could Sam do this to him? Doesn’t he know how much Steve—

“—hey. Steve. Sweetheart. Look at me?”

Steve does and wow. Just, wow.

“You have pretty eyes.”

A light blush creeps up Tony’s neck. “So I’ve been told.”

“So pretty,” Steve continues, a giggle escaping his lips. He wipes at his damp cheeks. “I love drawing them. They always look pretty in black and white. But they look prettier in colour. The real thing is the prettiest.”

The blush spreads higher, covering and darkening Tony’s cheeks.

“They’re rich like the dark chocolate you love to eat but sometimes they’re almost black like ink or that roast of coffee you adore even though I think it tastes disgusting but when the sun’s in the sky, they’re gold and sweet like honey—”

He hears Sam making a retching noise next to him. How dare he? First, he stole his soulmate from him, and now—

“Speaking of honey,” Tony interrupts, covering their joined hands with his other one, “there’s something I want you to do.”

Steve beams. “Anything.”

“Check the necklace around your neck.”

“Okay,” Steve says and immediately does what he’s told because that’s what Tony wants and he’ll take anything he could get and—

There’s a ring.

There’s a ring around his neck.

Just like Tony’s, it’s also an unremarkable silver but instead of a red gem in the middle, it’s blue. There’s also an inscription etched inside.

_Winghead._

“Is this— Is this a wedding ring?”

Tony nods cheerfully. “Yup.”

And just like that Steve’s world is turned upside-down.

Because he’s married.

He’s actually married.

Steve Rogers is officially a married man.

But that means—

“No!” Sam crows. “He’s sobbing again! He’s not supposed to cry. What the fuck?”

“Maybe they’re tears of joy?” Tony offers. “I mean, he _is_ high—”

Steve doesn’t feel high. He does feel relaxed, happy, sad, and confused all at once.

Because Tony’s married and so is he. But not to each other.

And that sucks so fucking bad.

“T—” A hiccup tumbles out his mouth. “Tony?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“I’m sorry.”

Tony’s eyebrows knit together. “What for?”

Steve squeezes his eyes shut. He can’t look him in the eye. Not after knowing that— Knowing that—

“For marrying someone else. For letting—”

“They weren’t kidding about improving the anaesthesia,” Sam mutters under his breath.

“—someone else call me ‘Winghead’. Only you can call me ‘Winghead’ and I don’t know why I’d—”

Tony sighs. “Honey—”

“—let someone else do it.” Steve exhales because his heart is heavy and he’s not relaxed or happy anymore. He’s just sad, confused, but also guilty. “It’s okay. You deserve better—”

“Sweetheart—”

“—than me who can’t even tell you how much you mean—”

“Babe—”

“—to me and I married someone else even though I love you and only y—” 

“It’s you.”

Steve’s eyelids fly open, his heart stuttering. “What?”

There’s a broad grin spreading across Tony’s lips. “You’re the one I’m married to.”

Steve blinks. Tony’s beam doesn’t waver.

“We’re married?”

“We’re married,” Tony echoes as he twists his ring off his finger. “For five years, in fact. Look.”

Just like Steve’s ring, there’s an engraving inside.

_Shellhead._

Shellhead. Tony’s Shellhead to Steve’s Winghead.

Shellhead and Winghead. Together. Like they’re always meant to be.

“Really?” Steve croaks out.

Tony’s smile widens, shining as bright as the brightest star in all of the galaxy.

“Really.”

Steve nods vigorously, letting it all sink in.

He’s married but not to some random person. No. He’s married to Tony Stark. He’s actually married to Tony Stark, his soulmate. His Shellhead.

Steve feels like celebrating. Screaming at the top of his lungs. Kissing the grin off Tony’s face and finally, _finally_ knowing what he tastes like—

Steve cries instead.

“Oh, for crying out loud—”

Steve ignores Sam. He’s irrelevant. Not part of this conversation. Because he’s not married to Tony. To his Shellhead.

Earth could be on fire now and he wouldn’t bat an eyelid. Because he’s married to Tony Stark.

He catches a tear with his finger, wiping it aside. “You… You love me?”

Tony nods, worrying the back of Steve’s palm with his thumb. “I do. Ever since I woke up on the ground in the middle of New York with debris and dust everywhere. I mean, I didn’t know at the time. But opening my eyes and having your face being the first thing I saw… All I could think of at that moment was how much I wanted to wake up to your eyes for the rest of my life.”

For a long moment, Steve’s at a loss for words.

Never in his wildest dreams did he think Tony Stark would reciprocate his feelings. After all, he’s a futurist. Genius. Billionaire. Philanthropist. Steve pales in contrast to him. He’s just a kid from Brooklyn, the Man Out of Time. What would the great Tony Stark, the Invincible Iron Man, see in him?

But here is Tony telling him he fell in love with him the same moment Steve did. And it feels so fucking good.

“Sam?”

The retching noises pause. “Yeah?”

“I’m married,” Steve says and wow, that also feels fucking good. Saying that.

So, so good.

“I’m married to Tony Stark. I’m married to the most amazing being in the entire galaxy. Universe. And he loves me so, so, so much.”

Tony lets out another unintelligible noise. Like he’s both touched and embarrassed. He shouldn’t be. It’s the truth, after all.

Sam’s lips quirk to the side. “I know.”

“My Shellhead,” Steve says happily, sinking back into the confines of his bed, his covers, his pillow. “My tiny, tiny Shellhead—”

Sam bursts out laughing as Tony splutters.

“Excuse you—”

“I love you, Tony,” Steve says and wow, he’s so glad he could finally say it. Finally tell Tony how much he means to him. “So, so much. Very, very, much.”

“I love you too,” Tony murmurs, his doe eyes shining and are those tears? Tony’s crying because of Steve. Not because he’s sad. Because he’s happy.

Steve’s blood sings at that.

He lets out a relieved exhale, fatigue suddenly washing over him. “I feel so sleepy. I think I’m going to take a nap. Is that okay?”

“Of course,” Tony murmurs, pulling away. Steve silently mourns the loss of Tony’s touch. He was so, so warm. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“You should sleep too. And shower. And eat.”

Sam laughs. “Even when he’s high, he still has time to nag.”

“Fuck you, Wilson.” Tony sighs. “Fine.”

“You gotta promise.”

“I promise.”

Steve lifts his little finger. “Pinkie promise.”

Tony cracks a smile as he loops his own around Steve’s. “Pinkie promise.”

Steve nods, flashing him the biggest grin he could muster because Tony deserves only the best.

He must’ve done his job because Tony’s own smile widens and wow, it makes him feel warm and soft everywhere and—

And his lips. Tony’s lips are warm and soft against his forehead. Chapped. But also warm and soft.

He’ll kiss him. Later. On the lips. When his eyelids aren’t heavy and his mind foggy. Then, he’ll finally know whether Tony tastes like coffee or grease.

As his eyelids flutter shut, he hears Tony rise from his seat.

“Did you get it?”

“Mm-hmm. From the part he started waxing poetic about your eyes, which I could do without…”

Steve doesn’t hear the rest of the conversation since he has already drifted off. But when he’s allowed back upstairs the next day, fit and no longer high on anaesthesia, he learns that Sam has recorded the whole conversation on his phone and decided to screen the whole thing on their humongous flatscreen as a welcome home present.

Twenty-two times.

With every single Avenger in attendance.

“I’m an idiot,” Steve moans later at night when Tony and him finally retire to their penthouse. He collapses onto the couch, burying his face in the first cushion he could grab his hands on.

The laughter and playful teasing still ring in his ears. Steve knows they mean well. His friends pull this kind of thing all the time. He also knows he was high on anaesthesia. It wasn’t like he was fully conscious of what he’s been sprouting.

But the thought of him bursting into tears several times in such a short span of time—

Tony lets out a hearty laugh. “You’re not an idiot,” he says as Steve feels the couch dip next on the other end. Strong arms wrap around his waist, pulling into a warm embrace.

“You’re _my_ idiot.”

Despite himself, Steve couldn’t help but smile. He’s right, after all.

Later when Tony pushes him onto his back, Steve will find out that Tony doesn’t taste of coffee or grease. A least, not at the moment.

He’ll taste of caramel popcorn instead.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact, I actually wrote a whole different fic for this prompt. I was about seventy percent through it when I realized wedding rings aren't the same as engagement rings so I obviously had to start over.
> 
> You can reblog this on Tumblr [here](https://kapteniron-archive.tumblr.com/post/611297438327848960/ill-be-by-your-side-when-you-cry-cry-cry).
> 
> Come holler at me on [Tumblr](https://nethandrake.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/kapteniron). I'd love to hear what y'all thought!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Em sẽ ở bên anh (Khi anh khóc)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27875658) by [Jeong_95](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jeong_95/pseuds/Jeong_95)




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